With our repairs wrapped up we decided it was time to finally check out the settlement of New Bight on Cat Island. My favorite aspects of travel are culture through food, history, and natural beauty--New Bight hits them all.
Getting ashore is easy as there is plenty of sandy beachfront to tie up to. Trash is also very easy as there are bins just across the street from the government office and dock. Within a few minutes walk we were at Olive's Bakery and it smelled AMAZING! Olive loaded us up with coconut bread, pineapple and coconut tarts, and some Cat Island flour cake, these cute round breads that are loaded with nutmeg...she recommended we try the with coffee or tea and we did! So good that we went back for more the next day to load the freezer! Walking along the main road we passed the service station (fuel and propane available) and the last Catholic church built by Father Jerome (more about him later) before turning to head toward the Cultural Village (a.k.a. Fish Fry).
The bright buildings lining the seaside street tell of more vibrant days before a global pandemic when music would flow well past sunset and the local regatta season was in swing. Still, a few businesses were open and we were getting hungry! We hit up Duke's Conch Stand for a pre-dinner appetizer and immediately put Duke on our "Best Conch Salads in the Bahamas" list. As usual, it's as much about the freshness of the conch and veggies as it is about the chef preparing it. We talked about fishing, with Duke giving us an appropriate ribbing for not catching a mahi on our way to Cat Island..."man, everyone is catching them now!" After visiting with Duke we joined the kids (they don't do conch salad) at Hidden Treasures, a seaside eatery with seriously good food and sweet ladies making you feel right at home.
The next day we were ready to hit up some history! New Bight is home of the "Hermitage," a small medieval monastery that was built by Monsignor John Hawes, a Roman Catholic priest known locally as Father Jerome, so he could get away from the world. He built his Hermitage atop the highest point in the Bahamas, Mount Alvernia (also Como Hill) at 206 feet above sea level. From this point, we could see out across the Atlantic Ocean and across Exuma Sound--it was stunning! Father Jerome's commitment to his faith was clear in the careful construction of the monastery and the hand-carved stations of the cross that guide you up the steep hill to the structure. We have seen a few of the churches that he built throughout the Bahamas and they all show his love of medieval architecture and beautiful form.
After our morning walk we visited Olive for more bread and some homemade hot sauce, Hidden Treasures for lunch and conversation with fellow cruisers, and Duke for one more conch salad for the road! This time he told us more about the Cat Island flour cake and showed us the chitons and periwinkles that locals like in a salad (I'm trying it next time!).
Having stayed long enough to know we would enjoy returning in the future, we headed a few miles north to Fernandez Bay for a lazy night and some snorkeling. We have decided to keep making our way up Cat Island to allow more options for the end of our cruising time...will we make it to the Abacos this year???
Source for more info about the Hermitage--https://bahamasgeotourism.com/entries/the-hermitage-on-mt-alvernia/751b6ee7-a764-40bb-8e9b-5d7de8bfc5a0
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